Mexican judge approves ‘El Chapo’s’ extradition to U.S.

MEXICO CITY — A judge in this capital approved on Thursday Oct. 20 the extradition of drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman to the United States, the Mexican Attorney General’s Office said.

EFE news agency reported Guzman’s lawyers are likely to appeal the decision before another court, which could delay a final decision for up to six months.

Earlier this week, another federal judge who had reviewed Guzman’s extradition case was assasinated while jogging near his home.

Guzman, imprisoned leader of the Sinaloa cartel, faces federal charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, murder and other in multiple jurisdictions in the U.S.

(PHOTO: efe.com)

The leader of the Sinaloa cartel has twice escaped from maximum-security prisons in Mexico, most recently in 2015. He was recaptured in January and is currently imprisoned in the northern border state of Chihuahua.

The AP reported there are two pending extradition requests for Guzman from federal courts in Texas and California, and there are a total of six cases against him across the United States.

His lawyers have 10 days to ask a higher court to review the decision and are expected to take the case all the way to Mexico’s Supreme Court, said a federal official involved in the process who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.